Mayor Eric Garcetti announced last week the city’s first Transportation Technology Innovation Zone, an area where innovators can test their transportation technology solutions. Located in the West San Fernando Valley, the zone is the result of a partnership between Mayor Garcetti and City... View full entry
Shohei Shigematsu of OMA announces the firm's upcoming project, the ReefLine, in collaboration with cultural placemaker Ximena Caminos. Leading the project's masterplan and structural design will be Shigematsu and his team, while Caminos will lead as its artistic director. Known for its... View full entry
At a community meeting this week, Ford Motor Company revealed the site plan for Michigan Central, a new walkable mobility innovation district in Corktown, Detroit’s oldest neighborhood, as well as designs for some of the district’s first buildings. Ford’s multiyear development, including the... View full entry
In 1970, Los Angeles was a sort of modern utopia-in-progress. At the same time—and for the first time, really—Mexican Americans were becoming an economic, cultural and political force. East Los Angeles became the center of the Chicano Movement, Whittier Boulevard its bustling “Main Street.” — COMMON \ EDGE
Los Angeles urban planner, artist, community activist, and educator, James Rojas pens a brief history of "Latino Urbanism" tracing through his own life, the community, and the physical space of East Los Angeles. Mr. Rojas coined the word Latino Urbanism and a strong advocate of its meaning... View full entry
At a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Ada Colau announced that 21 streets in Barcelona’s Eixample district will become a kind of super-superblock — vehicle traffic will only be permitted around the perimeter, leaving streets within the district only accessible by motor vehicle to residents, essential services or deliveries. By all-but-barring cars, Barcelona will free up space for 21 new pedestrian plazas at intersections. — Bloomberg CityLab
According to Bloomberg CityLab, the squares and streets that will be come the future superblocks will be planted with trees that will shade 16 acres of new green space when mature. The area will also contain an additional 33.4 hectares of pedestrian space. Work will begin in 2022 with a the... View full entry
Henning Larsen has unveiled designs for Wolfburg's Nordkopf district, called Wolfsburg Connect. The 13.6 hectare masterplan creates a prototype for "small-scale urbanism." "We are designing an inclusive city on human terms – an approach that means putting emphasis on social life and... View full entry
2020 has stirred up architectural discourse as practitioners, academics, and students address racial and social inequality within the industry. With the turbulent Summer months sparking the nation to mobilize and bring social and racial justice to the forefront, academic institutions have used... View full entry
Construction could begin by the end of 2021 on the initial phases of an expansion project which could bring new passenger gates to Los Angeles International Airport.
The LAX Airfield and Terminal Modernization Project, according to an environmental study published on October 29 by Los Angeles World Airports, calls for an extension of Terminal 1 onto an adjoining surface parking lot.
— Urbanize Los Angeles
Los Angeles International Airport, the world's fourth busiest airport during pre-pandemic levels, has released more details on its ambitious expansion goals. In March of 2019, LAX already started work on its $4.9bn Automated People Mover system. View full entry
Kunkel thinks a hybrid between Indigenous and Western architecture styles could lead to more sustainable designs, ones that incorporate modern technology to achieve the same qualities found in the place-based architecture perfected by Indigenous people over thousands of years. — High Country News
Spaces of Opportunity: Phase 1 (under construction)Jessica Kutz on how Phoenix and other communities across America, are already having to adapt to extreme heat plus other impacts of climate change. At the same time these communities are already developing solutions; from "smarter" cities... View full entry
The first steps toward expanding The Boring Co. underground tunnel system throughout Las Vegas may be underway, as the Elon Musk-owned company has submitted special use permit and land use applications, according to an announcement from the Las Vegas Convention Visitors Authority. — Construction Dive
The underground tunnel, which will stretch the length of the Strip all the way to the recently completed Allegiant Stadium, is awaiting approval from the Stadium Authority, Construction Dive reports. View full entry
Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA and associate principal Matthew Lysne showcase their latest stadium projects in Los Angeles. Taking the design lead to each site's landscape and urban layout, Studio-MLA teamed with HKS, Gensler, and Levin & Associates, among others, to... View full entry
Google unveiled on Wednesday its most detailed vision yet for a transit-oriented neighborhood in downtown San Jose [...]
Google’s village would add 7.3 million square feet of offices, 4,000 homes, shops, restaurants, a hotel, 10 parks, cultural and entertainment hubs, and immersive and interactive educational elements near downtown San Jose’s Diridon train hub.
— Mercury News
Google's ambitious 80-acre, transit-oriented Downtown West plan first appeared on Archinect in October 2019 and involves a number of prominent architecture and urban design firms, including Kohn Pedersen Fox (related), Heatherwick Studio, Grimshaw Architects, SHoP Architects, Solomon Cordwell... View full entry
Since 2011, the SEED Awards highlight public interest design projects that address critical community issues at a social, economic, and environmental scale. This year's award winners represent projects that reflect justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion within the realms of design... View full entry
AIA New York released a statement showing initiative towards impactful reform. The letter urges to create actionable steps to dismantling racial and social injustice issues sustained by the criminal justice system. The Chapter addressed they will no longer "reward or highlight work that... View full entry
As September is wrapping up, we look forward to Archtober 2020 kicking off tomorrow. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, the month-long celebration of architecture and design is presented as a hybrid virtual and in-person festival this year — allowing visitors to join events and activities... View full entry
